There would be an instant uproar, and you can bet the problem would be fixed, immediately.

Because of a technical error made by Congress in 2005, the cost of birth control in many health centers is rising almost 900 percent from what it was a short time ago. Women who were paying $5 to $10 per month are now paying $40 to $50 for the same prescription. For the college students and low-income women affected by this cost hike, that’s no small matter.

Congress has had more than enough time to fix the mistake — needlessly jeopardizing women’s health. We support the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act, introduced by Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) in the House and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) in the Senate, and designed to bring down birth control costs at college clinics and safety-net providers by reinstating their ability to purchase low-cost birth control.

Help Us Tell Congress to Restore Birth Control to Affordable Levels This Year

• Planned Parenthood is organizing visits to local offices of members of Congress across the country this March.  Contact your local affiliate for more information on how you can educate your member of Congress on this critical issue.
• If you’re a college student, get involved in the campus activities we’re organizing across the country.
• Call Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (202-224-5556) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (202-225-0100), and tell them to restore affordable birth control this year by passing the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act.
• Join our e-mail list to stay updated on this and other issues.
  

Read More on Birth Control Pricing

• ABC World News with Charles Gibson: Surging Cost of Birth Control
• The New York Times: Big Rise in Cost of Birth Control on Campuses
• US News & World Report: The Pill's Price on Campus
• Read the widespread newspaper coverage about how colleges and students have been affected by the rise in birth control pricing.